Door-securing device



Jan. 1, 1929.

P. R. DRENNING DOOR SECURING DEVICE Filed Nov. 7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P. R. DRENNING DOOR SECURING DEVICE Jan. 1, 1929.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 7, 1925 Patented Jan; 1, 1929. i

PERCY, n. DRENfiiLTG,*1Lfriil/IO3E,-iuAfiiiijiiiyb AsiGfiOft, mas-1km. ii ssren- MENTS, T T. H. SYMINGTON Ann son, 1166!, or BAriirIVIoRE MAitYLANb, A 601% mma or MARYLAND. j

DOOB-SECURJ'ING bsvrcE.

Ajiplieatidn filed November 7; 19251 ser al m @553;

This invention relates to door securing devices; v F y The principal object of the invention, generally stated, is to provide a securing device particularly adapted for use "connection with the doors or refrigerator cars for the purpose of forcing the doors into closed positioii and effectually maintainingthein fully closed so as to prevent leakage of air and change of temperature Within the car, and

to provide for the initial opening of the doors; 7

An important ebjeet er the invention is to provide securing means having lever mechanism fori'noving the same to operative or in operative position,- as the case may be, the lever mechanism having ass-named therewith retaining means capable of having the con ventional seal applied thereto;

A morespecific object of the invention is the provision of door securing means embodying pivoted bar element-s c arriedby a door and ceacting With peculiarly constructed keepers mounted on the door frame, the keepers having cam" portions acting initially to force the doors partly shut and having other portions Which act to bend the bar elements slightly'ror' holding them securely'in position andapp1 ing pressure tothe doorsurgin'g them closely to their seats so that absolute closure Will be assured;

Still another objectof the'invention is toprovide securing means Whic h embodies a small number of parts and vvh1ch W1ll,'there'- fore, be simple and inexpensive to manufac-- ture and install, easy to operate, positivein action, eiiicient and durable 111 service, and a general improvement in the art.

To'the attainment of the foregoing and other objects and advantages, theinyention preferably consists in the details of construo= tion and the arrangement and combination of i parts to be hereinaftermore fully described and claimech'and illustrated in the accompanying drawings-in which? Figure 1 is an elevation of the invention applied to'a refrigerator car door, the locked position being illustrated by full lines and I side of the bar above and below the door epen the released or inoperative positionbeing shown by dottedli'n'es, V

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken substantially at the meeting edges of the doors, V Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the door frame in a plane above the upper retaining member, the door being shovvn in struotion otthe door and its frameis Well known and it, is of cours'eapparent that it is highly desirable to apply-pressure'tothe out;

side 'ofthedoor or doors for'the purpose of Vforcing'the same'tightly into'place so as to prevent'passage otair which might change the temperature Within the car. l

p In carrying. out'the invention Ifprovide seouringimeanscomprising a lever 'Z pivotally mounted midway between its reaction ends,

as shown at 8 Within a suitable bracket striicture 9, and I also, utilize boltsl0 pivoted as at 11 Within brackets 12 and pivotally and slid= ably connected With the lever? .as-by means 7 of pivot elements 13 passing through the end portions of the lever? and through elongated slots 14 1n the bolts 10. During. movement of the bolts 10 into operative or inoperative to position, pivoting action occurs at the points 8, 11 and 1321s indicated bytlie dotted lines p l and dot and dash lines in Figure 1.' Suitable guide brackets 15 ma be provided for apply ing pressure from bolt 10 to the door and lim iting the movement of the bolts 10, these brackets being located at any-desired points,

though preferably near the upper and lower edges of the door. All of these parts are mounted on one of the doors 3; c The bolts 10 are of such length as to projeet beyond'the top and bottom of the door structure and their upper'andlower extremities are formed with preferablycylindrical extensions 16 for a purpose to be described, The'boltsf10 them= selves may be rectangular in cross section;

Mounted on the door frame or at the out ing 2 are retaining devices indicatedgener ally by the numeral 17'. These devices are of similar construction andeaeh may be formed as a single bracket bolted orothervvise suitably secured to the'car or door frame; Each bracket includes a main or body portion 18 formed [with a slot 19 which is slightly inclined wit-li'respect to the outer surface of the door, these slots in the brackets being adapted to receive the end portions of the bolts for holding the doorsin closed position; Each bracket further includes a guide portion 20 V of a'housing-like construction communicating 'acting as a cam.

adaptedto receive theextensions 16 on the with the slot 19 and having a curved passage 21' thereinjdefined between curved Wall portions 22 and 23, the wall portions 22 and 23 The curved passages 21 are bolts 10 during the initial forcing of the doors to closed position. The portions 20 of the retainers or keepers extend only a part way of thejentire lengththereof, the intention being that the extensions 16 may. pass entirely through and-beyond the portions 20 by the time the bolts 10' enter the slotsl9.

The lever 7 is formed atone end with a preferably laterally inclined extension 24 constituting a handle adapted to lee-grasped and swung in one direction or the other to effect ing position, as the case may be. In the present instance the handle 24 is shown as slotted movementof'the bolts 10 to released orholdat 25 so-asjto be engaged upon a staple or the like 26 through whichmaybe passed alpadlock,seal or the like when the securing device is in its holding position, the engagementof the handle upon the stapleactingto prevent dash lines in thesamefigure, the bolts 10 be- I ing at one limit of their movement. The operator then grasps the handle 24 and forces it downwardly or toward the position shown by-full lines in Figurel, As this is done the cylindrical extensions'16 on the bolts en ter the guide portions 20 of the retaining members or brackets 17 and as the extensions 16 ride alon'gthe curved cam surfaces23, it'is evident that these cam surfaces Will act to 111.0V6'1Jl16' bolts 10 toward the doors, thus moving them toward their-seat. 7 As the movement of the handle 24 is continued, the extensions 16 ride out from the guide members 20 by the time theends of the bolts enter the slots '1'9. Theslightinclinationofthe slots 19 is suflicient to effect a final wedging action whichfwill result in positively forcing'the door or doors into fully. closed position.

' 4 Assuming that the doors'are closed and that itis desired to open the same, the handle 24 is disengaged from the staple 26 and moved from the full'line position to the dotted line position shownin Figure 1, the end portions of the bolts riding out of the slots 19, sub-V sequently to 'which the extensions 16 ride along the passages 21 in the guide members which will start the opening movement ofthe doors, this feature'being. of distinct iniportance in case the doors should stick from s velling or any other reason. Bythe' time the belts reach the ends of the guide brackets V ori members .15 the extensions16 will be clear of the bracket portions or members 20 so that thedoors may thenbe-opened to the full extent withouthindrance.

From the foregoing description a study V of the drawings itwill be evident that I have provided a highly efficientdoor securing f means which is, moreover, easy to operate and which embodies means for not onlyforcing the doors closed but also for forcing them open when occasion arises. The slight bending action applied to the securing bolts operates to maintain the parts against casual movement in addition to imparting considerable pressure to the doorsforjpositively in suring'full closure thereof under all natural l circumstances.

vention as applied to the doors of refrigerator cars, itshouldbe understood. that this is I merely an. ex-emplification inasmilcll as the Q structure may be employed just as satisfactorilyin connection with doors --ofordinary refrigerators, Ice boxes, cold storage vaults and in fact in other places which may suggest V themselves. It is likewise to be'understood .that'I reserve the right tomake all such changes in the form, arrangement and;co1nbination of parts as will not depart from the spirit'of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described claim:

1. In combination with a door and an opening within which the door seats, a lever pivthe invention, I

oted on the door, bolts pivoted on the door opening having curved cam passages therein 7 I extending a portion of the length thereof and further having slots inclined with respect to the face of the door for receiving the bolts andwedging and bending thesame.

2. Means for forcing a door into closed 150-;

sition within an opening, comprising bolts;

'pivot'ally mounted onthe door for swinging movement in a plane parallel therewith, means for swing ng the bolts,means on the door for limiting movement of the bolts-in both directions, and keepermeans station- 5 1 arily mounted adjacent the door opening for While I have shownwand described the 9 nicating with the passage for receiving a bolt h and engaging the same at a point spaced from j larly arranged and acting 1 curved walls defining a cam passage receiving the extremity of a bolt, and further having an inclined slot at the inner end of the passage for receiving a bolt, the guide portion terminating short of said slot.

In a door closing, securing and opening mechanism, a door adapted to fit within an opening for closing the same, bolts pivotally mounted on the door and swingable in a plane parallel therewitlnguide means for the bolts. and keeper brackets mounted adjacent-the door opening,each bracket liaving'a guide portion formed with a. curved passage init-ially receiving the extremity of a bolt for forcing the door closed, each bracket further including an inclined slotted portion commuthe extremity.

5. Ina door closing, securing and opening mechanism, a door adapted to fit within an opening for closing the same, bolts pivotally mounted on the door and swingable in a plane parallel therewith, guide means for the bolts,

and keeper brackets mounted adjacent the door opening, each bracket having a guide portion formed with a curved passage initially receiving the extremity of a belt for forcing the door closed, each bracketfurther including a slotted portion for receiving a bolt and engaging the same at a point spaced from the extremity, the extremity of each bolt being reduced and rounded to facilitate its movement along the curved passage and to avoid torsion strains.

6. In a door closing, securing and opening mechanism, a door adapted to fit within an opening for closing the same, bolts pivotally mounted on the door and swingable in a, plane parallel therewith, guide means for the bolts, and keeper brackets mounted adjacent the door opening, each bracket having a guide portion formed with a curved passage initially receiving the extremity of a bolt for forcing the door closed, each bracket further including a. slotted portion for receiving a bolt and engaging the same at a point spaced from the extremity, the extremity'of each bolt being reduced and rounded to facilitate its movement along the curved passage and to avoid torsion strains, said guide portion extending from one end of the bracket to the slotted portion whereby the bolt will be guided into the slotted portion.

7. In a door closing, securing and opening mechanism, a door adapted to fit within an opening for closing the same, bolts pivotally mounted on the door and swingable in a plane parallel therewith, guide means for the bolts,

keeper brackets mounted adjacent the door opening, each bracket having a guide portion formed with a curved passage initially received the extremity of a bolt for forcing the door closed, each bracket further includ-.

ing a slotted portion for receiving a bolt and engaging the same at a pomt spaced from the extremity, the extremity of each bolt being reduced and rounded to facilitate its movement along the curved passage and to avoid torsion strains, said guide portion extending from oneend of the bracket to the slotted portion whereby the bolt will be guided into the slotted portion, and lever means connected with the bolts for swinging the same simultaneously.

8. In a door closing, securing and opening mechanism, a door adapted to fit within an opening for closing the same, bolts pivotally mounted on the door and swingable in a plane parallel therewith, guide means for the bolts, keeper brackets mounted adjacent the door opening, each bracket having a guide portion I formed with a curved passage initially re ceiving the extremity of a bolt for forcing the door closed, each bracket further including a slotted portion 'for receiving a bolt and engaging the same at a point spaced from the extremity, the extremity of each bolt being reduced and rounded to facilitate its movement along the curved passage and to avoid torsion strain, said guide portion extending from one end of the bracket to the slotted portion whereby the bolt will be guided into the slotted portion, lever means connected with the bolts for swinging the same simultaneously, and meansengageable by the lever for holding the same rigid. i

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PERCY DRENNING. V 

